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Alabama puts Bush tax cuts to biblical test

IN THE heart of America’s so-called Bible Belt, in a state whose chief justice relies on the Ten Commandments for judicial inspiration, President George W Bush has run into trouble with God.

A looming financial crisis in Alabama’s state government has sparked an improbable debate about how Christians should treat the poor and whether Bush’s enthusiasm for reducing taxes on the rich is compatible with his claim to be a compassionate conservative.

To the consternation of White House officials who are promoting their strategy of tax cuts as an engine for economic revival, Alabama’s Republican governor, a devout Christian who has been described as Bush’s spiritual soulmate, has parted ways with the president. Governor Bob Riley believes that the rich are morally obliged to pay more tax, not less.

An impending state referendum on a $1.2 billion tax reform package has transformed a dry economic debate into a biblical clash